Tannerite Vs. Computer

What we did last Saturday.

So Cute, They're Scary!

The kids had fun celebrating Halloween this year. Most of the kids had figured out their costume a month ahead of time. Annika made a fine little Asian girl, Sawyer was sure he wanted to be an army guy and Sophie was easy she wanted to be Cinderella. Stockton wanted to be Napoleon Dynamite, but we had a hard time finding a costume that wasn't too big for him. Finally, he decided to be a Mexican cowboy, unique and hilarious! We celebrated by carving pumpkins with Joe, Brittany and Luke, (Earl was out of town on business.) On Saturday, we went to a family party in Alpine and then the kids went out to trick-or-treat.

Finally, A Successful Camping Trip

Our family does not have the best luck when it comes to camping trips. Earl thinks we should backpack in, to the furthest reaches of the forest, where there is little to no chance of encountering another human being. I, on the other hand, would prefer a very nice enclosed camping trailer (or cabin) where all of our supplies are organized and ready to go. I would love to keep my children somewhat clean, be able to feed them easily, take care of their restroom needs and have them sleep comfortably through the night, in their own bed. After nearly 15 years of marriage, we are now compromising when it comes to camping.
No, we do not try and make 4 children backpack into the forest and FIND a camp. Nor do we have a fancy trailer, we have a nice family size tent. We do not eat Dinty Moore beef stew cold out of a can, nor do we have a solar-powered blender. We cook over the open fire. Our kids kind of have their own side of the tent with camp pads and sleeping bags. I have a nice air mattress and insist on bringing my pillow from home. We try to find nice camp spots without lots of people around. I think we are making progress.
Our latest camp out was pretty successful. We all had fun and there were only a couple of mishaps. The kids begged to stay longer, but 48 hours without a shower is about my limit.

Father's Day Festivities

My kids have the best Dad in the world. He plays with them, teaches them new things, provides for them, takes them out for treats nad is just FUN to be around. This year we celebrated Father's Day in Alpine with Earl's side of the family. We had lunch outside and enjoyed Utah in the summer.

Stockton Plays for the Twins

Baseball season is wrapping up for Stockton, this week is the last couple games of the city tournament. He was drafted by the Twins this year, it was an adjustment for him because most of his team lives on the other side of Pleasant Grove. He's had to make some new friends and he had a new coach. He can't seem to get enough of the game though. This year he is playing first base. He also is first hitter in the batting order. The team can count on him to get a hit, then he loves to steal. His goal in each game is to have no errors, he really concentrates on doing his best!

School's Out, Now the Fun Begins!

We had a very exciting first week of summer. Mom, Dad, Mandy and her family all came to see us for Memorial Day weekend. We went to The Living Planet Aquarium and the Hogle Zoo. My kids love both of these places, so to get to do both in one week was extra special. Plus their cousins were there to make it extra fun.
The highlight of our trip to the zoo was the Tiger Birthday Party! Apparently the 3 baby tigers were celebrating their 1st birthday, so we were able to see them eat their "cake" and sing to them. It was pretty exciting! Their cakes were made out of ground meat and each one had a nice rat on top!
The kids really liked petting the rays at the aquarium, except Sophie. She wanted nothing to do with those slimy rays, her favorite thing was driving the pretend boat. The penguins were also loved by all.

The Dance Festival

The kids' school, Manila Elementary, always concludes the school year with a dance festival. This year it was preceded by a family picnic. So I got to each lunch with each of the kids and then attend the festival. Earl was out of town, so unfortunately he missed lunch and the dance moves. Annika refused to look at me, while I was taking pictures, and Stockton was too busy trying to look cool to look at me, so the pictures aren't that great. I can always count on Sawyer to pose for me, until he gets older and cooler like the other two :)

Night Skiing - March 2010

The kids have wanted to go skiing since we moved to Utah. Having finished the basement, the yard, and most of the other home improvement projects over the past three years, we were running out of excuses. Some highlights:

1. Sawyer and Annika LOVE skiing. They both took a lesson and tore up the bunny hill at Brighton for 8+ hours.
2. Lori was fearless as well - perfecting her "power-snowplow" technique.
3. Stockton had a rough time with snowboarding, but finished strong. He wasn't sure he liked it at first, but was getting the hang of it toward the end.
4. Earl's highlight was having to call ski patrol after watching a 15 year-old kid slam into a pole. Lots of blood, broken nose, broken teeth, and probably a concussion, but made the kid lay there until ski patrol arrived. Stockton, who also witnessed the accident, was a little disturbed and decided to unstrap his board and walk the rest of the way down.

No serious accidents within our family, and all want to try it again soon!

Fun at the Gym

The girls are really having fun with their gymnastics. Sophie just started a couple of weeks ago. Annika is trying to master the back handspring. I took them to the gym today and they had a lot of fun. It was "open gym" so they were allowed to play on everything. I think we will be going more often. It is great exercise for them during the long Utah winter.

Sawyer went too, but he was mainly interested in jumping from high places into the foam pits. Maybe he'll become a stunt man. The other kids in the photos are our friends who live next door.

Uncle Bubbles - Rest In Peace

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Uncle Bubbles. He had just recently been released from prison, and was making excellent progress in the battle against his lifelong popcorn addiction.




Uncle Bubbles met his unfortunate end sometime last night when he was locked inside the Towne Cinemas ("Sticky Shoe Cinemas") in American Fork. Police reports indicate that he demanded his money back after an unsatisfactory viewing experience. After being turned away by theater management, he retreated to the men's room to regain his composure. Upon leaving the restroom, he found that he had been locked inside the theater complex for the night.

An unidentified cinema worker found his lifeless body behind the snack bar this morning. Before succumbing to the popcorn, Bubbles managed to scrawl short note on a box of Sour Patch Kids:

"Tonight I dine with Orville in Elysium"

Bubbles' tragic death is a shock to us all, but we hope that this most unfortunate event will raise public awareness to the gravity of popcorn addiction - and the unscrupulous tactics of the popcorn industry in general.

Fat People on Scooters

Utah, Colorado, and Connecticut are always coming out on top in the "healthiest state" rankings. Maybe that's why I'm always shocked to see so many fat people on scooters when I travel out of state. Granted, Utah isn't totally devoid of battery-powered leviathans, but you usually have to hang around Wal-Mart or the post office for awhile to see one.

On our recent trip to Florida, I had fun taking pictures of these creatures (hunting licenses aren't yet offered).

One of these large mammals got in line with us at Disney World and a Brazilian guy caught me gawking. He quietly motioned toward the scooter and said "the people walk more in Brazil". We watched in silent awe as the creature consumed two churros and a frozen coffee drink. Thanks for the cheap sugar, Brazil!